Bruce Ramp, left, and Ran Ransom are practically fixtures at the iconic Boulder store McGuckin Hardware. These days, they say, “hardware” is a broader category than ever — those are inflatable sleds on the wall behind the duo. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

If it plugs in, sparkles, slides on snow or lights on fire — or if it drills, thrills, or rotates on solar power — chances are good that Ran Ransom or Bruce Ramp has sold it to someone.

Together, Ransom, 69, and Ramp, 63, are hardware guys with a combined 83 years of experience (43 for Ransom, 40 for Ramp) at McGuckin Hardware, the iconic Boulder store that sells everything from pansies to propane, plumbing supplies to pitchforks (three kinds, plus four kinds of spading forks). Ransom is an assistant store manager; Ramp is the buyer for seasonal, outdoor living and specialty items. Both still spend time on the selling floor.

And both were originally customers who paid such frequent visits to McGuckin that partner Dave Hight finally asked each of them, “You spend so much time here, why don’t you come and work here?” Over the decades, Ransom and Ramp have seen the definition of hardware morph from bolts, spittoons and model boats to sleds, stockpots and desk décor. “You just cannot predict what we’ll be selling a year from now,” Ransom says.

We sat down with the pair recently for a broad-ranging conversation.

Question:The holiday season can get a little crazy. What’s your advice to shoppers on how to get the best service?

Ransom: Be nice. Everybody gets stressed, and everybody gets short of time. But if they’re grumpy, we’re probably going to spend a shorter amount of time with them. Ask questions. If you don’t know where something is, ask the salesperson to take you there. It’s not always possible, but just say, “Could you help me?”

Ramp: Just be friendly. What goes around comes around. That’s true in life, and it’s true in shopping.

Q:How has hardware shopping changed in forty years?

Ramp: We get more and more special orders. At McGuckin, often you get to meet the person who buys the item (for the store). So if you don’t see what you want, ask: Is it available?

We do see people scanning stuff with their phones and comparing prices online. They try to be secretive, so I ask them, “How we doin’, huh?”

Ransom: On the other hand, with the technology with the cellphone, they can take a picture of an item with their phone and show us what they need a part for. That’s very helpful.

Q: There’s a mind-boggling amount of stuff in here. Do people get lost and forget what they came in for?

Ramp: We calculated once that we have 10 square miles of shelves.

Ransom: I used to wear a pedometer, and I was logging 15 miles a day. I sat down one time and calculated that I had walked the equivalent of twice around the world.

I’ll tell you a story. I used to be on call some nights for when the motion detector on our security system went off — it had a lot of false alarms. And one night the alarm went off and so I went to the store. These two officers came in, and they went through the store, and made me get behind them. One was peering down the aisles, sighting with his gun, and the other cop walked into sporting goods and said, “Hey, how much is this Mag-light?”

Q: Do you have new products that are your favorites?

Ramp: People in Sweden came up with a clear propane tank (the Lite Cylinder, litecylinder.com). Everybody you talk to has had problems with their propane running out. Well, the best gauge in the world is the two eyes God gave you, and this tank is transparent. I put a light bulb behind it and then I make it slosh so people can see it. I like products with a little theater — lights, motion, sound.

Ransom: I remember the first cordless drills. The first Black & Decker one sold for $100 and was not very good. But now they’ve got one with a lithium battery. It sells for $60 and it’s 10 to 20 times better! The lithium-battery revolution makes work so much easier.

Q:Do you have advice for other folks working in retail?

Ramp: You’ve just got to tell the truth about what you’re selling. Once a woman asked me about the warranty on patio umbrellas, and (with Colorado’s extreme winds), I said, “It’s 5/50. Five minutes after the sale or 50 feet out the door.” You’ve got to tell people what a product won’t do — and then tell them what it will do.

Ransom: Those patio umbrellas are like little children; you can not leave them unattended. If you’re honest with a customer, they start to trust you.

Ramp: And when they’re stressed out, a little tiny bit of service — like offering gift wrap — is huge. It’s like giving them $200 off.